Stepmom
by BanginBrownEyes
Summary: "You can't tell me what to do." I muttered. "You're not even my real mother."


"You can't tell me what to do." I muttered. "You're not even my real mother..."

I couldn't believe I'd actually said it. For a moment, my feet froze and I stood stupidly in the middle of the hall, eyes wide with disbelief. Then, I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that, for just once in my life, I could take the words back.

"What did you just say?" My father's voice was low and even, but I could tell that he was holding something back. There was the slightest hitch in his otherwise flawless exterior, a heaviness to the air that seemed to appear whenever we had a fight. I could feel it pressing down, trying to force its way through me, but, as always, it managed to lodge itself in my chest.

"I...uh-"

"Get back here." Dad had instinctively switched into suspect mode, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "_Now._"

Reluctantly, I turned around, my eyes glued to the floor, not daring to meet my father's gaze. I focused on a small thread that had worked itself out of the carpet, bracing myself for the tongue lashing I so rightly deserved. But it never came. Almost a full minute passed and he said nothing, the silence between us almost more than I could bear.

A part of me hoped she hadn't heard; I'd said it so softly, and she was always so clueless in situations like these. Maybe she was watching our exchange with that funny, "lost little girl" expression on her face, and I wouldn't have to see her heart break. If I was lucky, Dad would just ground me and take away my Xbox and that would be the end of it.

Slowly, I tore my eyes away from the rug and lifted my head to look at her. Immediately, I wished I hadn't. Her big blue eyes stared back at me, dark and glistening with unshed tears, and her beautiful mouth was fixed in a pout. Her lower lip quivered and her shoulders hunched in defeat, making her seem so much smaller and weaker than usual.

"Tempe-" I began, but my father's raised hand cut me off. He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her toward him, glaring at me in disappointment.

"Bones, I'm so sorry-"

"No." She interrupted. "No, he's right." I could see my father tense as he took a step back to look at her.

"Bones, what are you talking about? He was completely out of line."

"No," she insisted, "he's right. I'm not his mother. I have no right to tell Parker where he can and cannot go. I should have let you handle it. You're his father." Her words were cool and sincere, but I could still hear the raw pain in her voice. It didn't make any sense. I'd shoved a knife in her back, and not only was she not angry, she understood. _She was defending me_.

"No, you handled it just fine. You're an authority figure in this house and he needs to understand that. Don't you, Parker?"

"Yes, sir." I croaked.

"Damn right you do. Now you apologize to my wife." His tone was razor sharp, letting me know that there was no room for discussion. So, with some effort, I forced down the grapefruit-sized knot in my throat.

"I'm sorry, Temperance." She nodded in acceptance, but refused to make eye contact, burying her face into my father's shoulder. After a few moments, she reached up to wipe the mascara from her cheeks, and I knew that she was crying. Desperate, I looked to my father for guidance.

"Bones, go wait in the car, okay? I need to have a talk with my son." I fought back a shudder as Temperance pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then glanced over at me before walking silently down the hall to the garage. When she was safely out of earshot, Dad closed his eyes and fell heavily onto the sofa, motioning for me to join him. As I sat there, waiting for him to speak, he let out a long, defeated sigh, and began rubbing his face with both hands.

"Parker, I want to know what's going on with you." To my surprise, he didn't sound angry. The lecture I'd been expecting ever since my outburst still had not arrived, and it was making me a bit uneasy. My father had never been shy about expressing himself, especially if I'd done something idiotic or dangerous, and today should have been no different. In fact, the word 'idiotic' didn't even seem to cover the extent to which I'd screwed up. Even so, it was clear that something was hindering him.

"I don't know what you mean." I started. I figured the best course of action was to let my dad do most of the talking. Give short, concise answers. 'Yes, sir', 'No sir', that kind of thing.

"Yes, you do. Ever since your mom died, things have been different around here. You're always so angry. Miserable. I want to understand what's going on in there." He tapped his finger gently against my temple, and, despite my best efforts, a small smile inched its way onto my face. Dad moved closer and wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders, offering me a brief smile in return. "Talk to me, son."

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I just...I don't know what to do." I knew I was probably just confusing him, but the words I needed seemed to have escaped me...along with the well calculated control I'd always prided myself in. I could feel the shell around me starting to crack and it terrified me, more than I'd even thought possible.

"Is this about your new school?" Dad asked. "Because if you want to go back to your old one, I understand. I mean, you'd have to live with Grandma and Grandpa, but if that what it takes to make you happy, then I'll do it." I knew he was trying to console me, but, the truth was, he had only grazed the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.

"No." I began, shaking my head. "That's not it. I mean, yeah, changing schools was hard, but that's not the reason." He gave me a confused look, and I wanted to scream out of frustration. Who knew getting all of this out would be so hard?

"Then what is it?" I didn't answer right away, so he continued on, his voice deep and soothing. "Parker, I know you miss your mom, but I..I thought we were working through it. Things were getting better. I just...I just don't understand what happened."

"That's just it." I exclaimed, struggling to hold back tears. "Things were too good. Things were normal. And they just, they shouldn't. They shouldn't be."

"Parker-"

"When Mom got sick, I thought my world was going to end." My voice cracked with emotion, and I could see the moisture glinting in my father's eyes. "And, you know what, Dad?" I whispered. "It did.

I wasn't a little kid anymore. I had to see things that no kid should ever see. I watched my mother throw up and lose her hair, turn into a skeleton. Practically overnight. I remember sitting by her bed, watching her, just to make sure she was still breathing. Like if I looked away for even one second, she might disappear forever." I took a deep breath to calm myself, and Dad just watched, his body tense as he tried to share my pain. "So, when Mom died, and I moved in here, I thought things would never get any better. But they did. Every day it hurt less and less. Being with you and Tempe and Christine, it made the hole in my heart feel a little bit smaller. I was starting to like my life again."

As I wiped the tears from my eyes, I looked up and saw that he was smiling at me. It was a sad smile, one that told me he understood and that he loved me, and I knew that I had done the right thing in telling him. Sniffling, I turned away and forced myself to continue.

"Then, one day, a few weeks ago, I was in my room watching TV, and Tempe came in. She'd washed my lucky jersey for the big game, and I was so psyched because I'd thought I'd lost it. So, I jumped up and hugged her and said 'Thanks, Mom!' After that I totally freaked. I slammed the door and wouldn't talk to her for the rest of the day."

"Oh, Parks."

"I didn't know what to do! I was scared! I felt like I was letting Tempe replace Mom and I couldn't deal. That's why I've been so angry. I'm angry at myself. I let it happen, and it's my fault. Not yours. Not Tempe's. Mine...I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to hurt Tempe. But I can't say I didn't mean what I said."

"I understand, Parks. I know how bad it hurts to lose someone. Especially your mother. But I want you to know that Bones will never replace your mom. No matter what."

"I know, but...I just, I feel like I'm betraying her."

"Betraying her? By loving Bones? No, Buddy, that's not betraying her. Your mom would want you to move on with your life. She'd want you to be happy. And if being part of this family is what makes you happy, then I'm sure she'd want that, too."


End file.
